LANSING, Mich. – Building projects in Delhi Charter Township, Ypsilanti, Livonia, Romulus and St. Clair Shores have been recognized for leadership in reducing building energy waste through performance contracts.

Anne Armstrong Cusack, executive director of the Michigan Agency for Energy, assisted in the presentation of the awards at the 2018 Leadership in Energy Efficiency event, hosted last week in Lansing by the Energy Services Coalition – Michigan chapter. “The winners announced today invested more than $39 million in building system upgrades and are saving $3.5 million per year in energy costs over the lifespan of the improvements,” Armstrong Cusack said. “They are shining examples of what can be accomplished through performance contracts when facing tight budgets.”

“I am very excited about the opportunity for the ESC organization to recognize our award winners at the 8th annual awards luncheon,” said George Taylor, president of the Michigan chapter of the organization. “Their commitment to positively impacting the environment by shrinking their carbon footprint, while simultaneously reducing their energy and operational costs is a winning combination for all participants in the process. We are confident that as budgets continue to be challenged, and renewable technologies become more economically viable, the performance contracting model will become the gold standard in addressing these challenges.”

The 2018 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards winners and their projects follow. Click on the winners’ names to get more details.

Delhi Charter Township: In a $4.6 million project, the township renovated an aging HVAC system, process equipment, building envelopes, control systems, lighting within their facilities and upgraded to LED streetlights. The changes are expected to save the township $113,455 annually in energy costs.

Eastern Michigan University: This $19.8 million project involved improvement of the performance, reliability and efficiency of its central heating plant. The university replaced a 64-year-old boiler and a 28-year-old cogeneration system. The changes are expected to save $2.8 million annually in energy costs.

Madonna University: The university undertook at $3.1 million project targeting aging infrastructure, deferred and reactive maintenance and an uncomfortable learning and teaching environment. Upgrades include a new HVAC system in one building, digital controls, campus-wide LED lighting upgrade and variable frequency drives. The annual energy savings are expected to be $129,225.

Romulus Community School District: The district’s $6 million project included improvements at seven buildings, such as LED lighting retrofits, district-wide web-based energy management system, energy efficient motors, variable speed drives, water conservation retrofits and installation of a pool cover. Annual energy savings are expected to be $334,810.

City of St. Clair Shores: As the first municipality in Michigan to take advantage of the new Tax Exempt Lease Purchase (TELP) legislation, this city targeted rising energy costs, risk of equipment failure, aging infrastructure, and an aging civic arena. TELP allows local units of government to fund energy efficiency projects without taking on new debt. The $5.7 million project included improvements to the civic arena, interior and exterior LED lighting upgrades, roof replacement and repair, installation of a new energy management system, installation of variable speed drives on pumps and fan motors and water conservation. The upgrades are expected to save $108,720 annually in energy costs.

The Michigan Energy Office, part of the Michigan Agency for Energy, was a sponsor of the awards event. It is a partner organization of the ESC and the Michigan state chapter.

The ESC is a national nonprofit organization composed of a network of experts from a range of organizations working together at the state and local level to increase energy efficiency and building upgrades through energy savings performance contracting (ESPC).

The ESC – MI Chapter provides an outreach program that strives to educate and inform public entities on ESPC within the state.